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Monday, December 17, 2007 “More Fertilizer for the Cacti”
The desert claims another victim.
One of the trolls at the Tucson Citizen responds: "More fertilizer for the cacti" A direct result of politicians and policies that aim to dehumanize the flow of people seekin refuge. Luckily, there are groups and movements that do not forget that we are one global family. Please consider giving a donation to them for the holidays - consider it fertilizer to grow the U.S. a new conscience.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007 They say… A new order must arise from the ashes of this violence-charred world. They say sexism is dead…
They say racism is dead…
They say classism is dead…
They say nativism is dead…
They say homophobia is dead…
We romanticize that which does not deserve it. The earth laughs at the notion that it can be controlled, and rather than respect Her, we devise new ways of poisoning her vitality by demeaning our brothers and sisters in devious ways. Such an existence is not sustainable. A new order must arise from the ashes of this violence-charred world. One that is perfumed with the scent of fellowship and compassion, not the current stench that invades every one of the senses. I believe more people know this than are visible at the present time. How do we tap into that fire of the human soul and reignite the love? Tuesday, September 25, 2007 Daily Show Hosts Bolivian President Tonight Bolivia’s President, and first indigenous leader of that country (in its current form, that is), will be on the Daily Show tonight
(h/t to The Latin Americanist)
At least the U.S. is consistent… Tuesday, July 17, 2007 Who Am I? I am… I am…
...the scent of fresh bread in the breeze that dances its way through the barrio;
I am me. Who are you? Friday, July 06, 2007 The Sky Opened and the Clouds Wept As I listen to the drops hit the ground around me, I can almost sense the earth taking a deep gulp of sustenance. The air fills with the sweet kisses of the creosote, a scent of ancient gods and goddesses that call on all creation to respect, love and preserve all the beauty that surrounds us. It began with the wind. Friday, June 15, 2007 Path to Citizenship Needs Inclusion in Senate Bill I can’t help but feel the sting of burning irony that Mr. Bush is seeing his approval ratings further erode now that he has royally pissed of his base for pushing his (flawed) immigration initiative through Congress. It appears that one of Kris Kobach‘s vigilante colleagues in Kansas City is feeling the fire for her active participation in Minutemen hate-mongering.
This is exactly what needs to happen across the country - grassroot groups that span racial, religious, even political lines need to unite against the campaign of xenophobia that has been fueled brightly through the efforts of vigilante activism. It’s not rocket-science to figure out that the worst aspects of human nature would be allowed time to play in the playground given the current political climate wrt immigration. I can’t help but feel the sting of burning irony that Mr. Bush is seeing his approval ratings further erode now that he has royally pissed of his base for pushing his (flawed) immigration initiative through Congress.
This is truly a divided country when upwards of 75% of Republicans support the bloodthirsty sociopath and still his approval ratings are hovering or submerging under the political “Mendoza line”. (Why does that have to have a Latino connotation, btw?) A divided nation - or is it? Poll after poll after poll shows that the public overwhelmingly supports a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Yet, you won’t find that in the stalled Senate bill - “guest worker” sure, but that’s to appease the corporate slave-owners who want to make sure their profits continue to soar. The workers are left hanging, as usual, with tons of loopholes and continued discrimination. So what we have at the moment is a Congress that is controlled by Democrats that are still taking their cues from the hard-liners. No attention is paid to their base (or the majority of U.S.-born Americans for that matter). They only fear of losing their jobs if they piss off the right wing too much. Sound like another issue in the headlines? People like Frances Semler, mentioned at the beginning of this post, are not in the majority, but you would think they were after seeing the inaction of the House and Senate. Clearly, this is a problem that needs to be resolved; otherwise the case will continue to strengthen that there are no longer two-political parties, but one that is beholden to profit and power.
Posted by Manuel Guzman on 06/15 at 06:23 PM
Immigration • VigilanteGroups • KrisKobach • (0) Comments • Permalink • Tell-a-Friend Thursday, March 08, 2007 Día Internacional de la Mujer Today is the International Women’s Day, commemorated in dozens of countries around this globe. Commemoration is more appropriate than celebration, in my opinion, because there is still too much ground to cover in the area of gender equality. It has always been ironic to me as a Xicano, growing up in a machismo atmosphere, how much deference is paid to the father-based lineage of our families. We track our histories through that line, usually in the form of naming children or when telling our stories - using that as our foundation. Yet, it is todas las mujeres that hold our families together (usually). Today is the International Women’s Day, commemorated in dozens of countries around this globe. Commemoration is more appropriate than celebration, in my opinion, because there is still too much ground to cover in the area of gender equality. It has always been ironic to me as a Xicano, growing up in a machismo atmosphere, how much deference is paid to the father-based lineage of our families. We track our histories through that line, usually in the form of naming children or when telling our stories - using that as our foundation. Yet, it is todas las mujeres that hold our families together (usually). This past weekend I got to spend a day with my nana and she was feeling pretty nostalgic, so I was treated to many stories of her life and childhood. Moments that I treasure, because in a way, they are a part of my story. She spoke of the hardship endured raising five children and taking care of an ailing mother-in-law while my tata was away doing construction work to keep food on the table. Now in her late seventies, she spends the majority of her time managing a food bank that provides the same assistance she received all those years ago when the purse was pinched. The force within las mujeres is one that can’t be described - it is felt. There is love, discipline and orgullo - pride - that beams out of them when they are able to share those special moments of realization that the hard work they did paid off in some way. It could be something as simple as watching a child get a note of Excellence on a paper. I guarantee you that that paper will be prominently displayed on the refrigerator, and whenever there are guests in the house, they will be treated to the lyrical masterpiece. Today is a day where, yes, we can pay homage to the hardworking and influential women in our lives - but we must also remember that it is yet another call to action to bring equality to the way we structure our social systems. In addition to that, it is a call to raise awareness on the ways that women are often abused instead of revered. From the United Nations:
In honor of todays holiday - and especially for the power of dignity and equality that can be borne to this world if only we choose to bring it about in our circles of influence - please take the time to discover the many ways you can help. Most of the time, the transformation begins within our own homes.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Lessons From A Batch of Tamales ...all of these things are not something that the average American would consider American™, yet they are.
 I love tradition. It’s everywhere; yet unless we take the time to identify and celebrate it, it’s either lost or warped into a shadow of itself. As a Mexican-American I’m happy to come from a family that has pulled its influence from everywhere it has journeyed.
My great, great grandfather on my dad’s side was a blacksmith. That side of the family is very much rooted in the Old West Cowboy history. It’s evident that it still lives on strongly whenever we gather for Easter at a remote ranch for several days of camping and celebrating. While we don’t own horses any longer, something stirs in our blood when we’re out in the monte. On my mom’s side of the family tree, the best-of-the-best of Mexican tradition comes to life (not that it’s missing from my dad’s side, mind you). I can close my eyes and feel my body waltzing in the living room of my nana’s tiny house to the sounds of Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete. My hands embraced in the hands of nana who would sing to us as we danced. I remember watching my tata sit patiently at the kitchen table with his pocket knife, taking out the candy-like fruit of the granadas (pomegranate) and putting them into a bowl for all of us kids to enjoy. If we weren’t in the mood for it, there was usually a griddle on the stove with a quesadilla laying in wait.
At least they are for the plethora of humanity that has existed in this area for centuries. The blending of cultures that has produced the modern day Xicano is not something that we can turn off unless a decision is make to deny ourselves a whole portion of our identity. Those of us who are on a journey of discovery that leads to nuestras raíces - our roots - will indeed find solidarity with those in our extended familia that are only separated by powerbrokers’ lines of division. You cannot divide a human heart full of love. I hope that this simple fact will become more central to the future of the immigration debates that will undoubtedly rage for years to come. It will give understanding to people who don’t understand why people like me see a system in place that is broken and fundamentally opposed to equality. Part of the Una Identidad Sin Fronteras series
Posted by Manuel Guzman on 12/13 at 11:57 PM
(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink • Tell-a-Friend Thursday, November 09, 2006 Restoring the Conscience of a Nation The political power may have shifted with this election, but there is much, much more work to be done to make the Constitution a living document for all people. The Democrats won big on Tuesday. After all the recounts and close races are tallied, they will probably win by an even larger margin. I have to say - it’s bittersweet. Power is such a fluid thing. For the past six years the Republican majority has shut out the Democrats on virtually everything. It got so bad that any hearings/meetings they wanted to hold would have to be conducted in the basement of the Capitol. That’s not leadership - it’s bullying - and I would argue un-American. I’m hoping that there will be a major shift in the way this country conducts its business but there are countless issues at the foundation of our people that must be dealt with in a civil, pensive manner. The first, and foremost, is the ways that we still cling on to our programmed bigotry. Arizona will be the first state in the nation to defeat a so-called “Protect Marriage” initiative. I referred to it as the Civil Union Destruction Initiative because that is exactly what it was - a removal of rights from committed couples of all types - straight and gay. The churches are directly responsible for stoking the fires of disgust and division when it comes to this particular item. When are we going to take a collective breath, stare ourselves in the mirror, and realize that it is wrong to deny avenues of Love? I’m happy that we defeated the ban, but other states endorsed their versions of it. The second item is something that I take very personally because it involves my personhood - immigration reform. While I am a seventh-generation Arizonan, I still find myself continually on the receiving end of the entrenched xenophobia that many people hold towards minorities. This is not some imagined blight - it is real - and forgive me if I don’t feel it politically expedient to cave when it comes to supporting human rights for all people. There were four initiatives on the ballot in Arizona directly aimed in the direction of the Latino population of Arizona. The supporters would like to tell you that they were solely designed to restrict the rights of undocumented immigrants - “illegals” - to use their demeaning term. But again, that comes from an assumption that we live in an era of equality and dignity for all people. It is a false assumption of the highest order and if you can’t see it then I don’t know how to describe it to you. We are imperfect beings, and the ways in which these initiatives will be carried out will adversely affect more than just their intended “targets”. So while I’m happy today that there will finally be a real check-and-balance against an Imperial Presidency, I’m also yearning for a seismic shock to the conscience of the people in this country. Rights have been restricted instead of expanded, bigotry has reigned free instead of denounced and support for an unfettered military machine continues unabated. The political power may have shifted with this election, but there is much, much more work to be done to make the Constitution a living document for all people.
Posted by Manuel Guzman on 11/09 at 07:07 AM
(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink • Tell-a-Friend Tuesday, September 26, 2006 Meeting at the Sacred Mountain It is in our blood to be connected to the land - la tierra sancta. It is a deep respect and knowledge of our commonality with the life that surrounds us in all forms. Etched into the headstone of Urbici Jose Francisco Soler Y Manonelles is the outline of a mountain. A mountain which is within driving distance from his grave in El Paso, Texas - Mount Cristo Rey.
It’s fitting that the image of can be found on his tombstone. Here’s why:
Back in July, the border community of Sunland Park, New Mexico, made headlines by rejecting the popular calls for militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border. They refused to issue permits allowing the National Guard to patrol their sacred space - their sacred mountain.
 When the Spanish conquistadors made their way through this area centuries ago, they brought with them the Catholicism that would ultimately dominate the spirituality of the indigenous people; but the forces of synergy have produced something in the modern era that endures.
It is in our blood to be connected to the land - la tierra sancta. It is a deep respect and knowledge of our commonality with the life that surrounds us in all forms.
In the context of pilgrimage and prayer, it goes beyond a simple gathering as a group in a special place - it is about familia, nuestra fe y la paz - family, our faith and peace. Mount Cristo Rey, which I didn’t know much about until elRanchero mentioned the permit denial in July, is a symbol of the bi-culturalism that is deeply rooted in the borderlands.
I’m glad that the people who join the pilgimage each year will be able to do so again this year without armed National Guard troops standing on the sidelines. This past Saturday marked the beginning of the 13th Annual Celebration of Our Mountains - it’s a reminder that while politicians play games with respect to immigration reform and border rhetoric - this land is still our home and no one can change that.
More resources:
Thursday, September 14, 2006 Preparing for Diez y Seis de Septiembre Across the southwest U.S. and more than likely other places where a high concentration of our people are located, there will be Fiestas Patrias celebrated this weekend. La musica, la comida, y la amistad de la gente Mexicana will blaze brightly like the sun. It is something that can’t be killed by legislation or pressure from the prevailing winds of the American media. I had lunch today at Sue’s Fish and Chips in the heart of South Tucson and picked up La Estrella de Tucson to read while I was waiting for my food. The publication was all abuzz for the upcoming celebration of Diez y Seis de Septiembre (September 16th) - Mexico’s Day of Independence. I couldn’t help but smile. You see, for the Mexican-American community here in the United States, we have two sets of history that tie into our ancestry. Despite the efforts of Nativists to try to eradicate all of our ties to our homeland down south, the Mexican cultura thrives here because it is an undeniable part of many Americans’ identity. Mine obviously included. Across the southwest U.S. and more than likely other places where a high concentration of our people are located, there will be Fiestas Patrias celebrated this weekend. La musica, la comida, y la amistad de la gente Mexicana will blaze brightly like the sun. It is something that can’t be killed by legislation or pressure from the prevailing winds of the American media. Awhile ago I wrote a story about Isidora, whom I admired as a young child as she warmed tortillas for the burrito booth at my hometown’s fiestas. This coming Saturday and Sunday I will find myself looking upon the same stove that she hunched over as she worked diligently con una sonrisa (with a smile) for many hours to feed the best food to the warmest people. I can’t wait.
This year has seen alot of waves in the ocean of tolerance in the United States. We saw the power of the people in the streets during the immigration marches of March and April and now we’re seeing many instances of backlash from “staunch conservatives” as they try to rescue their country from supposed invasion and loss of “American” culture. I’ll never understand how so much isolation mentally and emotionally can lead to such idiocy like this.
They are trying to stamp out all historical ties that Arizona has to Mexico. It is the ultimate exercise in projection - they think that if the spanish language and all that is tied up in our identity is allowed to flourish that we’ll demand that it supplant “American” culture. Umm. No. Mexican-Americans have the ability to live bi-culturally, and allow me to be presumptive, but it certainly makes for a richer life. Who else can celebrate more than one Independence Day per year? :)
The biggest problem that we as a bi-cultural people face, however, is resisting the pressure put upon us by the dominant forces of East Coast-based policy making.
That final figure makes me very sad because I’m one of those statistics (and sadly not one of the five in 100). My spanish is very limited and has come about more due to classroom instruction and random phrases used by family members than a constant exposure to the language of my ancestors. I’ve been working all summer to beef up on my ability to speak fluently, but it’s because I feel an obligation to tie myself fully to roots. I fear that I am the exception rather than the norm, especially as I observe my circle of friends and family members of my generation. It’s all bittersweet as the fall elections get closer and the anti-immigrant forces’ rhetoric grows stronger. While people like Randy Graf or J.D. Hayworth feel a sense of obligation to “preserve” the United States against an invading force, people like me will just shrug our shoulders and spend the coming weekend listening to las rancheras del mariachi and participate in numerous Gritos del Pueblo to declare our undying orgullo for the roots that bring us a rich life. They’ll never be able to kill the spirit of the people that have deep roots in this land. Its power will never be touched. Confime - Trust me. Part of the Una Identidad Sin Fronteras Series
Posted by Manuel Guzman on 09/14 at 12:45 AM
(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink • Tell-a-Friend Saturday, September 09, 2006 When An Election Becomes A Bloodbath Why can’t my moments of dj vu revolve around good things? Why can’t my moments of dj vu revolve around good things?
Anyone who has been reading my work for the past few years knows how disgusted I was during the 2004 Presidential Campaign when “Values Voting” was shoved down the throats of the people. So many Catholic friends of mine refused to vote for John Kerry because he was an eeeeevil liberal. The Republican Noise Machine with their media helpers pushed the narrative that George Bush won because of “Values”.
Posted by Manuel Guzman on 09/09 at 09:54 PM
(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink • Tell-a-Friend Thursday, August 03, 2006 The Past Walks With Us Always They say that memories fade with time. Sometimes I wonder if that’s really true. They say that memories fade with time. Sometimes I wonder if that’s really true. Sure some of the mundane moments of my childhood have disappeared into the ether of my mind, but there is a multitude of memories that have remained with me as the years have passed. Points of time that I was aware, even as a small boy, that they were going to have an impact that reverberated through the years. They are like the notches made in the wood of a walking stick, as a reminder that those moments walk with you on your path. Growing up in a Mexican American family that is quite large on both sides of my lineage, I was always struck by how much love and compassion was shown for one another and anyone we encountered. Even though there were 26 first cousins on my mother’s side, we all treated each other as siblings. Primos pero hermanos - Cousins but brothers/sisters. Traditions run deep in the cultura that I was raised. Even though we have been here for over seven generations, the passionate blood of the Mexica (meh-shee-kah) still flows through our veins. We celebrate, grieve and persevere together as a familia. When a child is baptised, we are gathered in joy and orgullo. When a loved one dies, we gather in mourning for our loss yet the celebration of the life that was lived. Grieving is something done with force, and while it can be depressing to allow clouds to constantly rain over your life, it also builds a strength within you that makes it easier to keep trudging down the roads. I come from roots that are built on service of others. My great, great grandfather was the blacksmith of the small town I grew up in and was known for his generosity. That kindness and basic decency flowed through the ages and is something that I work everyday to keep alive. When I see the interactions of people around me I often shake my head and dream of a different world where cosas are just cosas, but amistad is the foundation for being. It is something that takes alot of work and patience, but it can be done if we are willing to challenge ourselves enough to break the bondage of a society that screams “ME! ME! ME!” The greatest of all virtues, in my humble opinion, is humility. (how’s that for a pun) Service and compassion towards others are mere acts and they can be easily perverted by pride. It is an easy trap to fall into, one that I know all too well. The irony is that even though the action is based on convergence rather than divergence, the soul - the alma - is still rooted in the race-to-the-top worldview. That is a path that only leads to a superficial change of reality. I write these things not to boast or be condescending, but rather to show whomever may stumble upon these words that there is another way to live and interact with our fellow human beams. The world is governed by people who care nothing for the common good. They are only concerned with profits and wins. Gestures of assistance or compassion are met with a glance that signals a demand for payment someday for what has been offered. What good does that do? It only succeeds in widening the divide between understanding of different cultures and political systems. No growth occurrs, and while there are sometimes temporary successes, they are on a superficial level that condemns us to fight the same battles in generations to come. The memory I would like to share comes from a September weekend that has been replicated most of the years of my life. The small town I come from holds an annual Fiestas Patrias in celebration of Dies y Seis de Septiembre, the Mexican Day of Independence. It is an annual fiesta of our bi-cultural identity and is always a highlight of the year for me. As my 11 year old ears were soothed with the mariachis playing on the stage, singing the songs of the rancho, I found myself working in the burrito booth that my nana always coordinated. I spent that weekend listening to the elders talk about the ways they would prepare the chili verde y chili colorado con carne, y los frijoles, of course. Closing my eyes now, I can still smell the fresh scent of the tortillas being warmed up on the griddles before moving down the assembly line to the ollas filled with the chile. Isidora was her name, she died many years ago, but the spirit that woman exhibited lives on in my memory. She was under five feet tall with a slightly hunched back. I recall being amazed at her ability to pick up the tortillas from the griddle without wincing in pain from the heat. She told me: “Mijito, mira mis calluses” - and she turned over her veined, wrinkled hands to show me what years of toiling for her family had done to her fingertips. Her eyes showed no pain, but rather a glint of joy that told me that everything she had done in her life was done with a sense of love. Though life had put many burdens on her, she transformed any hardship into a force of compassion. I hadn’t thought of Isidora in a very long time until I started to ponder what it truly means to walk the walk of Peace. She was but one of many elders in my life who have inspired me to keep my focus outward on others in humility. I can’t help but imagine meeting her again someday and sharing our stories over one of those world famous burritos.
Posted by Manuel Guzman on 08/03 at 08:09 AM
(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink • Tell-a-Friend Sunday, July 23, 2006 Breaking Free From the Cycle of War Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez didn’t change the course of history by making their countries’ people feel good about themselves. They were the prophets of their time, calling out the injustices and hypocrisy of an entire society and the need to reform at the deepest levels. This past weekend I caught a small-venue concert with the group Sunday Afternoon. It was totally by chance that I found myself there, but I’m glad that I was able to hear their music. They’re a semi-acoustic rock band that knows how to light up a stage. I bought their latest CD, Something Always Leads You Home and was thrilled to see their lyrics printed in the disc jacket.
Here is an excerpt of the words of Track 8 - Free
As with most things, context matters. Given the discussions of the past week on war and peace, I found the lyrics easily resonating with the call for an upheaval of the way we view the world.
The cycle of war is circular. One side offends the other for whatever reason. Bombs and bullets rain like acid and the tit-for-tat continues until someone with integrity steps in from the outside to show both sides that there is a better way. If a cease-fire is attained it is only as strong as the fundamental changes in the mindset of the opposing forces. If there is a shallow acceptance of the ideals for Peace, then the situation is only one suicide bomb or soldier capture (or blog flamewar) away from total chaos. Justified chaos in the mind of the aggressor. It reminds me of the reality that many people in the U.S. are only one paycheck or one health crisis away from total poverty (I resemble this remark). It can be quite taxing to lay awake at night wondering if the income will be enough to meet all the bills, which includes the need for food.
Do I just lay there and agonize? or do I rethink my behavior on a fundamental level, challenging myself to change things that are within my power? Make lunch instead of buying it everyday, pass on the urge to buy more junk, or perhaps just as simple as putting away a portion of the bi-weekly checkbook for a rainy day fund. Personal accountability - something the leaders of the United States need to be reacquainted with soonest.
Back to matters of war. It is easy to characterize ruminations of Peace and non-violence as divorced from reality or weak, as we’ve seen repeatedly thrown at us from the neocons, but that is because they are viewing my, and others’, worldview on their terms - as forms of rebuttal and confrontation - other manifestations of war - to their worldview. What they fail to realize is that the path we are seeking to blaze together is based on a more fundamental, inner-power that will ultimately lead to that stability and freedom that they love to blast us with using their various propaganda organs.
Squeezing blood from a stone is possible with matters of life and death, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It only takes a healthy imagination and some real leadership based on integrity. We’ve seen it before. In the past it has won the independence of India, voting and civil rights of women and African Americans in the United States, as well as worker protections and the fundamental right to organize among the agricultural fieldworkers of this country.
Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez didn’t change the course of history by making their countries’ people feel good about themselves. They were the prophets of their time, calling out the injustices and hypocrisy of an entire society and the need to reform at the deepest levels. They were faced with a multitude of backlash for their views, but the real power in their words were not that they were a rebuttal, a tit-for-tat solution to the ills of society, but rather a call for total transformation.
We need more of those types of truth-tellers today.
Posted by Manuel Guzman on 07/23 at 05:25 PM
(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink • Tell-a-Friend Thursday, July 13, 2006 Political Will for Peace I am not ashamed of my liberal views. It is time where none of us who hold them should be. The propaganda will no longer work among a populace who holds those ideals in the deepest part of their psyche. Plant the seeds now and who knows, perhaps we’ll see some blooms in the coming years that are worthy of remembrance. It has been a long time since there was widespread political will in the United States for the things that many liberals hold dear - equality, diplomacy, fiscal responsibility, etc. For those of you who are into facts and documentation, look no further than the elections that have been held recently in this country at all levels, as well as the waffling that has been done by Democratic candidates and politicians. The Democrats were trounced in the 2002 and 2004 elections because they refused to take an unabashed position on matters of war, specifically the War on Terror, which the Republicans have repeatedly conflated to include Iraq no matter how much the lefty community might disagree. Sure there were other factors on the domestic front, but those two elections were more dependent upon foreign policy in my opinion. George Bush is not a leader. He never has been. A leader is someone who will take into consideration the diversity of opinions that exist among the people he or she leads. That has never been the modus operandi of this particular government. He surrounds himself by advisors and audiences that agree with his positions, allowing him to shore up the self-sufficiency he needs to keep doing what he chooses. That is not leadership, it’s dictatorship. Bush’s air of confidence is unnerving to those of us citizens who abhor his actions and worldview. But what are we supposed to do when leaders who are supposedly on our side flinch with timidity and open themselves up for ridicule and descriptions of weakness? Kerry got labeled a flip-flopper because he acted like one. I grew to like Senator Kerry, still do, but that is because I was able to do more indepth research on the differences between his positions and George Bush’s maniacal reign. I have to say, there were fewer differences on policy than I would like, especially as it regards war and the U.S.’s involvement in the world. For the uninformed, in my opinion lazy, voter; they had a choice between a steely resolved person (Bush) verses another candidate who spent more time talking through an answer than actually answering it with conviction (Kerry). That’s why we are dealing with a second term presidency at this moment. And throughout all of that fluff, where were the steely resolved candidates for peace? I’ll tell you where they were, they had been banished to the radical and marginalized minority of the left by our own party, let alone the electorate. People like Dennis Kucinich, Carol Moseley-Braun and Al Sharpton who no matter how much their positions resonated with a liberal/diplomatic worldview during the Democratic primary debates, they were never seen as viable candidates. Why? Lack of political will and a vile mixture of sexism and racism thrown in for good measure. Those exist in bi- and non-partisan forms. So here we are today, watching as the situation in the Middle East explodes in the metaphorical and physical sense of the word. Liberal Catnip has been all over this story, I encourage you to start at the top and continue reading as she documents the media response to the flagrant warmongering by Israel as well as the continually abhorrent actions of the Bush Administration. Hypocrisy and continued support for the forces of war. The only path that will lead us down is a guarantee of more death and instability. The wheels are already loose on the global wagon and I fear we are coming to a point where they are going to start flying off and true chaos will emerge. A very dark vision to have, but also one that squares with what I see on the t.v. screen, in the newspapers and on NPR.
It is becoming increasingly apparent to me that society is going to have to hit rock bottom before we, all or a majority of us, come to realize that there is a cancer in the U.S. that infects the way we interact globally. Boston Joe, a diarist at BooMan Tribune, speaks for me on this when he responds to a friend’s question whether he has forgotten what happened on September 11, 2001.
As I’ve been saying recently, the status quo is not something I support. We need a major paradigm shift to occur in order to see a stable situation based on diplomacy and the pursuit of the common good. Since it is not being led by the political realm, look for my involvement to be more with grassroots groups and coalitions who are working to grow an electorate that views human rights and peace to be a more acceptable status quo for the future. I am not ashamed of my liberal views. It is time where none of us who hold them should be. The propaganda will no longer work among a populace who holds those ideals in the deepest part of their psyche. Plant the seeds now and who knows, perhaps we’ll see some blooms in the coming years that are worthy of remembrance. Blooms that are not fertilized by the blood of others.
Posted by Manuel Guzman on 07/13 at 08:14 PM
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Piñatas, cascarones (confetti eggs), 
